As part of the reading game that Jazminsdaddy set up, I was matched with Jaz and given the novel Dirty White Boys by Stephen Hunter to review. Jaz had given me the warning that he hoped I wasn't easily offended....

Now this is a crime novel, and not one that I would have normally selected on my own, but the blurb on the back made it sound like a gory, blood-soaked Prison break kind of story, so I was at least intrigued. Note, lots and lots of spoilers, so stop reading if you plan to buy this book!

We are introduced to the main character, Lamarr Pye, who is a convict serving life, as he discusses his penis. My first inclination is this book ain't starting off too well.

The other convicts are Lamar's hulking and mis-shapen cousin Odell who is for better terms slow, and an effeminate little man named Richard Peed. Peed got involved with the Pyes since he sought protection in jail and his ability as an artist inspired something in Lamar.

Well, Lamar happens to have an encounter in the showers with a towering black convict which leaves the other man dead. Fearing retribution from the gang that the murdered man belonged to, Lamar decides to escape jail and drags Odell and Richard, his dirty white boys, with him.

This sets off a bloody chain of events which highlights Lamar's sharp and cunning intellect, the pure and uncontrolled rage of his cousin, and the cowardliness of Richard.

While hiding out at the house of a man who Lamar was told had guns, the dirty white boys crossed paths with Bud Pewtie, a hard as nails cop and his soft and distant partner. Lamar outwits Pewtie and kills the partner and leaves Pewtie for dead.

Pewtie survives but all is not well in his world either. He has been having a torrid affair with the wife of his now dead partner for months due to the fact that he no longer finds his wife appealing. He feels alienation from his sons as well, and yet, he still feels guilty about leaving his family to be with his younger mistress.

The Dirty White Boys continue their rampage leaving bodies wherever they go. They eventually take to hiding at the house of an unstable woman who wrote to Richard while he was in jail. Once there, Lamar and Rata Beth take on the role of father and mother with Odell and Richard slipping into a more submissive and subservient position as if they were the children. Ruta Beth joins the gang and they continue their crime spree.

Meanwhile, Richard who has been sketching lions for Lamar finally comes up with the perfect picture...the one Lamar wants made into a tattoo. Once again, Lamar and Pewtie's paths cross, this time at the tattoo parlor which Pewtie went to merely on a hunch. A firefight ensues leaving Lamar wounded and Odell dead. Lamar swears revenge and goes after Pewtie, even kidnapping his mistress who he believes is his wife.

Pewtie tracks them down, and after a bloody chase, we find Lamar and Ruta Beth dead and Richard going back to jail, though this time as a man since he shot a cop in cold blood. Pewtie reconciled with his family. The end.

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it. It was a basic good versus evil story where we saw that the lines between good and evil were not so clearly defined. The hero, Bud Pewtie, is a flawed man who lies to his kids and cheats on his wife. He is the tough and rugged cop and yet is already being outdated and archaic as a new breed of law enforcement office takes over.

Lamar, while a sociopathic killer, cared for and loved his cousin and aspired to greatness which was denied to him by nature of his roots. He tried to set up a rudimentary family and wanted to take care of them all. To Lamar, killing was a means to an end, and did it easily enough, but not out of pleasure. It was merely how he saw his place in society...kill or be killed, like the lion whose strength he so desired.

That was what made the book. Pewtie and Lamar, though very different, were also a lot alike. They were both very shrewd and determined, and would do whatever it took to get what they were after. Also, neither of them would ever be satisfied by merely a good effort. it was all or nothing for both of them.

While the story started off incredibly violent, this toned down as the book wore on, focusing more on the characters themselves and their thoughts than on the situation around them.

Well written and an easy page turner. Recommended for those who like their books raw, yet offer something else as well.